Ring laser angular rate sensors, also called laser gyros, are well known in the art. One example of a ring laser angular rate sensor is U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,718 issued to Hanse, et al., which is incorporated herein by reference thereto. Present day ring laser angular rate sensors include a thermally and mechanically stable laser block having a plurality of formed cavities for enclosing a gap. Mirrors are placed at the extremities of the cavities for reflecting laser beams and providing an optical closed-loop path. Such a laser gyro may incorporate a microprocessor controller.
Laser gyros that utilize microprocessors for their control require that inertial navigation information, control information, test information, and status information be communicated to external systems including an inertial navigation system or a test system. The inclusion of a microprocessor in the laser gyro allows the implementation of new capabilities such as sending autonomous control functions and self testing along with self calibration and self diagnostics. This new capability requires the transmission and reception of a broad spectrum of data, some of which occurs at a high frequency rate.